Goin’ down south

FILE PHOTO Junior guard Shirley McCall looks for an open teammate against The College of William & Mary Sunday.

Much like his leading scorer, JMU women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks is having health issues heading into Thursday’s game against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

"I’m fighting a sinus infection," Brooks said. "That’s not great when you’re going on a seven-hour bus trip."

Neither are back spasms — which freshman forward Tamera Young has been battling since leaving Sunday’s game against The College of William & Mary early. Brooks said Young should play Thursday.

"She came down awkwardly," Brooks said. "We held her out for the rest of the game and she didn’t practice [Monday]. I think she’ll be fine to start, unless I see something at practice tomorrow."

JMU enters Thursday’s contest looking for its fourth straight win.

The Dukes are coming off a 66-61 victory over William & Mary behind double-double efforts from sophomores, forward Shirley McCall and center Meredith Alexis.

"It was huge," Brooks said of Alexis’ and McCall’s efforts. "Both were tremendous. They stepped up big, especially on a night where we lost Tamera."

JMU’s three-game winning streak has pulled it into sole possession of fourth place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings. The Dukes, at 14-8 overall and 7-6 in conference play, hold a one game lead over the Towson University Tigers and the Hofstra University Pride — both of which check in at 6-7 in the CAA.

"We’re getting back to where we want to be," Brooks said of the recent surge. "We’re hitting our stride and starting to close out games."

The Dukes will attempt to widen their lead against a UNC-W team that enters with the second-fewest wins in the conference. The Seahawks, (6-16 overall, 3-10 in the CAA) have lost 10 of their last 12, including a 72-50 defeat at the hands of JMU, Jan. 23 in Harrisonburg.

"It’s going to be different because it’s on their court," Brooks said. "We opened up their zone last time. We’ll have to do that again. It’s an advantage if we can get the ball inside."

Getting the ball inside means more opportunities for Alexis. Against UNC-W earlier this season, Alexis posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes.

"She’s been playing well as of late," Brooks said of Alexis. "That night she got into foul trouble. We’ll need her down the stretch."

Another player the Dukes will need is sophomore guard Lesley Dickinson. The Queens Village, N.Y., native has been battling inconsistency all season, though she still ranks No. 9 in the CAA in scoring, averaging 14.4 points-per-game.

"Lesley is a marked player," Brooks said. "Anytime you’re the reigning conference Rookie of the Year, you’re going to command attention."

Dickinson appeared to climb out of her funk against Hofstra last Friday night, torching the Pride for 34 points on 10 of 15 shooting in JMU’s 73-71 overtime victory. But she struggled Sunday against William & Mary, hitting just 3 of 15 shots and finishing with 11 points.

"She got into a nice rhythm against Hofstra," Brooks said. "She’s understanding how to approach things. She realizes she doesn’t always have to score for us to win. She’s more valuable than just scoring points."

JMU and UNC-W tipoff at 7 p.m. at Trask Coliseum.